Steamed Slit Pau with Stewed Meat

When I stayed home the other day, I decided to try some cooking. Not salmon, but stewed pork belly. I made the slit pau, and my boy loved it! He finished most of them over the next few days. He took the paus for his three meals.

Recipe for Steamed Slit Pau with Stewed Meat, extracted from "Agnes Chang's Delightful Snacks & Dim Sum 开开心心做点心"

Steamed Slit Pau
Ingredients A:
500g HK flour, sifted
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tbsp Instant yeast
100g Caster sugar
240ml Water
3 tbsp Shortening

Ingredient B:
1 tbsp Baking powder

Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients A together and knead into a smooth and elastic dough.
2. Cover with a piece of wet cloth and leave to prove until it has doubled its bulk.
3. Sift B on top of the dough and knead well to distribute the baking powder* until the dough is smooth again.
4. Cover and allow dough to rest for 15mins before shaping.

* Note: Make sure you knead very well after adding in the baking powder, otherwise there will be small brownish spots on the pau skin.

Pau Skin:
1. Divide dought into 24 pieces and shape into balls. Roll each ball into oval shape and brush surface lightly with seasame oil (or shallot oil).
2. Fold each piece into half and press the edge lightly to seal.
3. Put aside to prove for 15 mins.
4. Steam over high heat for 10mins until cooked.
5. To serve, open up the slit pau and sandwich with one piece of stewed meat.

Stewed Meat:
Ingredients:
4 tbsp Cooking oil
2 tbsp chopped Shallots and garlic
500g Pork belly, cut into 1cm thick

Seasoning:
4 tbsp Soya sauce
1/4 tsp Dark soya sauce
2 tsp Sugar
1/8 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp 5-spice powder
1 tbsp Mushroom sauce (or oyster sauce)
1 piece Star anise
1 tbsp Hua Tiao Wine (or any chinese cooking wine)
250ml Water
1 tsp Chicken stock granules

Method:
1. Heat up 4 tbsp oil in wok, stir-fry chopped garlic and onion until lightly brown. Add pork pieces and stir fry until fragrant.
2. Add seasoning, mix well and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook until the meat is tender and sauce is thick (about an hour).
3. Dish and ready to serve with slit pau.

The slit pau that I made had brownish spots all over. Mainly because I didn't knead well after I added the baking powder. I think it'll be better if it's added together with the rest of the ingredients.

I felt that the dark soya sauce was too light. I would have added more the next time, otherwise, the stewed pork belly looks a bit pale.